1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to interactive broadcast systems, and more particularly to apparatuses and methods for establishing and communicating reminders to a viewer about broadcast and non-broadcast events.
2. Background of the Invention
Interactive broadcast systems, such as interactive television, provide the viewer with an enhanced viewing experience, typically allowing the viewer to engage with interactivity associated with individual televisions programs or advertising content. The interactivity is typically provided to the viewer""s broadcast receiver (e.g. television receiver, or set top box) by broadcast from a central host, such as a cable head-end. Viewer responses are communicated back from the broadcast receiver to the cable head-end by a back channel communication link, such as telephone connection. In this fashion the cable head-end can broadcast content particular to a viewer""s responses. However, in this approach all interactivity is controlled and produced at the cable head-end, and the broadcast receiver is generally used merely for display of the interactivity and receipt of viewer inputs.
With the vast array of broadcast offerings, viewers may like to have a means for reminding them in the future to watch a particular broadcast event, such as a television show or movie. It is desirable that a viewer can easily, and on impulse, establish such a reminder, without cumbersome or mode-based programming. In addition, advertisements often broadcast information about non-broadcast events, such as upcoming sales at department stores, limited time offers to purchase items on a shopping channel, and limited time offers to subscribe to premium channel services being offered on a channel other than the one being watched by the viewer.
Some interactive cable systems provide limited means for establishing reminders. For example, Lawler, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,107 discloses an on-screen program selection guide that displays information about future broadcast programs, and with which the viewer can program reminder data to view a certain future broadcast at a certain time. This reminder data is transmitted from the broadcast receiver to the cable head-end where it is stored and monitored. At the designated time, the cable head-end transmits a message to the viewer""s broadcast receiver with the reminder to view the broadcast. However, because this system is based on selection of broadcast items from a program selection guide, it cannot be used to establish reminders for non-broadcast related events. Further, this method requires the viewer to actuate the program guide, review it for a desired program, and set the reminder. Because the viewer must use the program guide in this manner for any reminder, this approach thus does not allow the viewer to immediately establish a reminder at any time based on the broadcast program she is currently viewing, without having to activate a separate programming guide. For example, if the viewer sees an advertisement for a television program that is to be broadcast the following week, she must activate the program guide, search through it for the listing of the desired program in the desired time slot next week, and select this program to establish the reminder data. This process interferes with the viewer""s viewing of what was being broadcast. Indeed, if the adverstisement ends before the viewer is done with programming the reminder data, she may miss a portion of a television program that she was watching. Finally, this type of system stores the reminder data at the cable head-end, and makes the cable head-end responsible for managing the reminder data of hundreds, perhaps thousands of viewers. This approach is highly inefficient but results from the inability of conventional broadcast receivers to store and actively monitor reminder data.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of conventional systems by providing a generalized system and method that allows for the establishment and communication of reminders for both broadcast and non-broadcast events. The present invention further enables the viewer to immediately establish a reminder based on a currently viewed broadcast item, without having to traverse through complex program guides. Further, the viewer can establish reminders that relate to either future broadcast events, or to future non-broadcast events. For example, with the present invention, when viewing an advertisement for a sale at a department store that begins in three days, the viewer can set a reminder for that sale; the reminder that the sale has started is displayed to the viewer when the viewer uses their television in three days"" time. The reminder data is preferably stored locally at the viewer""s broadcast receiver, thereby eliminating the burden on the broadcaster or cable head-end to manage reminders for potentially tens of thousands of viewers.
A system in accordance with the present invention includes a broadcast system that broadcasts interactive applications in association with broadcast programs, including television programs and commercial advertisements. The interactive applications include reminder interactive applications for establishing reminders about broadcast events, such as upcoming television programs, and non-broadcast events, such as a retail sales event, related to broadcast program, such as a commercial advertisement for the retail sales event. The system includes a broadcast receiver that receives the broadcast programs and the associated interactive applications, displays the broadcast programs, and executes the associated reminder interactive application. When a viewer is viewing a broadcast program, she may instruct the broadcast receiver to establish reminder data related to the broadcast event, or a non-broadcast event associated with the broadcast event. Execution of the reminder application receives the reminder data and stores it in the memory, and initiates a timer based upon the reminder data to countdown the time remaining for the reminder data. The broadcast receiver may store multiple different timers for different reminders. The reminder data is preferably defined within the reminder interactive application, so that the user has to program as little data as possible. For example, the reminder interactive application may include the date, time, and description of the event for which the reminder is desired. In this fashion the user need only to activate the reminder interactive application when viewing the broadcast program, and need not select a specific program in a complex program guide to set the reminder data.
During subsequent viewing, when a timer expires, the broadcast receiver displays a reminder display on a display such as the viewer""s television, providing descriptive information of the reminder, such as the date, time, and description of the broadcast or non-broadcast event.
A method in accordance with the present invention includes receiving broadcast data including at least one broadcast program and a reminder interactive application associated with the broadcast program, receiving a user input to establish a reminder for an event associated with the broadcast program, executing the reminder interactive application to establish reminder data for the event in a broadcast receiver, establishing in the broadcast receiver a timer based upon the reminder data, and providing a display of the reminder from the reminder data upon expiration of the timer.